Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on Monday (May 12) announced his retirement from Test cricket, ending the speculation about his future in the longest format.

Also read: Reactions to Kohli’s Test retirement

In an emotional post on Instagram, Kohli called the Test a format that has “tested me, shaped me and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.”

Also read: Rohit Sharma retires from Tests: Tributes pour in for ‘quiet fighter’

Test stint

Thirty-six-year-old Kohli turned up in 123 Tests for India, scoring 9230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85. He will only play in ODIs now, having already retired from T20 Internationals last year.

‘Not easy, but feels right’

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for,” Kohli announced on his instagram page.

‘A heart full of gratitude’

“I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” he added.

Also read: Why did I quit captaincy? Virat Kohli answers

Kohli’s retirement continues the exodus of Indian bigwigs from the Test arena. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) are the others to have called it quits in the format.